Tuesday, 13 Tishrei (September 21):There will be a farbrengen following the 9:30 PM Maariv minyan in honor of the Yarzeit of the fourth Lubavitcher Rebbe, the Rebbe MaHaRash, who passed away at the age of 48 on the 13th of Tishrei in 1882 (5643).

Thursday, First Day of Sukkos, 15 Tishrei (September 23):Shacharis: 10:00 AMMincha: 6:30 PMLicht Bentching: Not before 7:34PMShiur and MaarivSimchas Beis Hashoeiva at the home of Yitzi Lipszyc, 21 Brockton Road.

Mazel tov to Dr. Avraham and Yutty Polinger on the birth of a baby girl!

Shifra and Puah arranges homemade meals for mothers of newborn children from our community. If you are able to cook a meal(s), you can schedule it on Meal Train or contact Karen Schild at 845-354-4898 or karenschild@yahoo.com.

Shifra and Puah arranges homemade meals for mothers of newborn children from our community. If you are able to cook a meal(s), you can schedule it on Meal Train or contact Karen Schild at 845-354-4898 or karenschild@yahoo.com.

Reservations for Yom Tov seats at Tzemach Tzedek will begin this Sunday, August 29th.

If you had seats last year, those same seats will remain reserved until this Wednesday morning, September 1. If you do not reserve by Wednesday morning your seats from last year will become available to the public.

Due to the Shul's cash flow challenges, all reservations must be accompanied by advance payment for next year's Shul membership and any extra seat charges. The payment can consist of post-dated head checks or credit card authorization.

There will be a farbrengen at Tzemach Tzedek this Shabbos in honor of Chai Elul.

Chai Elul is a significant day in the Chassidic calendar as it is the day on which the Baal Shem Tov was born in 1698, the day on which the Besht began teaching Chassidus at the age of 36 in 1734, and the day that the Alter Rebbe was born in 1745.

If you would like to host a Simchas Beis Hashoeiva this Sukkos please email news@monseychabad.com with your name, address and the night that you wish to host so that you will be included in the Yom Tov schedule.

Looking for an experienced, full-time babysitter for 3 precious babies. Transportation provided. Dates: School days until after Sukkos. $18 an hour (combined). Please call 201-767-2007 or 773-584-8458.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Today, the 15th of Elul, marks 113 years since the Rebbe Rashab founded Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch. On this auspicious day it is a great pleasure to introduce a number of initiatives that the committee put together based on the many responses from the community.

The shiurim listed below are all set to begin right after Sukkos and we hope to implement additional shiurim and other events in the future.

Please note that all of the new shiurim listed below are in addition to the current ongoing men's and women's shiurim.

In order to ensure the success of each shiur we are asking you to please register for the shiurim that you would like to attend. Only once there are sufficient registrants for each shiur will the class be finalized.

Weekly Evening of Learning:Whether learning with a chavrusa, attending a shiur or studying alone, this evening will be dedicated to our community coming together to create a spirit of Torah learning. Committee members will work to ensure that anyone who requests a chavrusa will receive one.Day of Week: Thursdays (Following the weekly Tanya shiur by Rabbi Lesches which will now take place from 8:00 to 8:30 PM.)Time: 8:30 to 9:30 PMLocation: Tzemach TzedekPlease register ASAP by emailing your shul representative:

Daily Gemara Shiur:A serious goal-oriented daily Gemara shiur. The shiur will include a schedule of chazara (review).Days of the Week: Monday through ThursdayTime: 9:45 to 10:30 PM (see below)Location: Tzemach TzedekMagid Shiur: Rabbi Chaim Dovid KaganPlease register ASAP to Avi Weinstein at aviweins@gmail.com. If you would like to register for this shiur but prefer another timeframe please include the time that you would like and we will base it after the majority.

Monthly Melava Malka:A monthly melava malka / farbrengen at the homes of various yungeleit featuring local and guest Rabbanim, Mashpi'im and Shluchim.Day of the Week: Motzai ShabbosIf you would like to host a Melava Malka please contact Eli Cohen at elicohen.ny@gmail.com.

Monthly HaBayis HaYehudi Shiur:A monthly shiur on topics related to the Jewish home.Date: First week of every Hebrew month. Time and location will be announced to those who register for this shiur.Magid Shiur: Rabbi Aaron Dovid GanczPlease register ASAP to Yossel Sirota at yosselsirota@aol.com.

Monthly Chinuch Class:A series of classes, open to men and women, with each class addressing a specific chinuch topic. All classes will include a question and answer session.Date: Time and location will be announced to those who register for this shiur.Presenter: Rabbi Zalmen Leib MarkowitzPlease register ASAP to Yossel Sirota at yosselsirota@aol.com.

Hachnosas Orchim:Committees are being put together for each of our shuls to look after guests. Committee members will work together to ensure that all guests are warmly welcomed, given a seat, etc. In addition, the committee will arrange Shabbos meals in the homes of community members for those who need (singles, bochurim, etc.). To join the committee for your shul, please contact Moshe Wiener at rabbiwiener@gmail.com.

Again, no shiurim will be finalized until we receive responses so please be sure to register as soon as possible.

I would like to thank all those who responded so enthusiastically to this project. Our collective commitment to grow b'ruchniyus, and in a spirit of achdus, will certainly result in an outpouring of brachos b'gashmiyus and b'ruchniyus for our entire community.

Shifra & Puah is experimenting with a free online service called Meal Train with the aim of making the organization of meals for mothers of newborns, and others who are in need, easier for everyone.

On Meal Train a calendar is created for each family who is receiving meals. The calendar includes information like the recipient's address, how many people are in the family, what time they prefer to have the meals delivered by, any dietary restrictions or allergies, food preferences, etc.

Women who volunteer to cook can then see which days and meals are open as well as what foods other people have prepared to ensure variety.

There will be a farbrengen tonight, Wednesday, August 25, after the 9:30 PM Maariv minyan at Tzemach Tzedek in honor of the founding of the Yeshivah Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch by the Rebbe Rashab on the 15th of Elul in 1897.

Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch was the first Yeshiva to integrate the revealed part of Torah (Gemara and Halachah) with the esoteric teachings of Chassidus in a formal study program.

Shifra and Puah arranges homemade meals for mothers of newborn children from our community. If you are able to cook a meal(s), you can schedule it on Meal Train or contact Karen Schild at 845-354-4898 or karenschild@yahoo.com.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Seeking room and board for our 14 year old who will be going to yeshiva in Monsey this year. Very strong preference for him being in his own room. If you are interested please let us know at ggmonsey@gmail.com.

Now that children are home from camp and have a week or so of free time until school begins it is a great time to prepare for the new school year.

Rabbi Mendel Polter, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Menachem Mendel Lubavitch of Monsey, has a limited amount of time that he is able to make available to learn with individual 7th or 8th grade students to prepare them for Mesivta level learning.

In honor of the upcoming wedding of Rabbi and Mrs. Markowitz's daughter, money is being collected to present to Rabbi and Mrs. Markowitz as a small token of appreciation for all that they do for our community.

If you would like to participate in this gift please mail or drop of between $15 and $50 (or whatever you can) to Dr. Avraham Polinger, 10 West Fessler Drive, Monsey, NY 10952 before this Friday, August 27th.

All contributing families will be listed on a card accompanying the gift.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Wednesday morning one could hear the "tap, tap, tap" of the hammer as the mezuzos were once more affixed to their places on the doorposts of every room in our home. The sofer had completed the checking of our mezuzos and tefillin. What a relief to fulfill this mitzvah again in the month of Elul.

A young chosson, soon to be married, dropped by to pick up some of our well-used furnishings to surprise his bride as he plans to present her with a fully decorated apartment. What a nice feeling to give a young couple a jump start in life! After lunch, we all dispersed to various parts of Monsey carrying out our various errands.

Around 3:45 PM, Simcha brought in the mail and settled down to go through the various tzedakah requests, when he suddenly smelled a strong chemical odor. He checked the boiler room, but all was in order. As he neared the back of the house, he suddenly saw a flash of light emanating from the master bedroom. He was shocked to see a small blaze! He immediately called 911 and left the house, not without shouting into the upstairs hallway to make sure everyone was out of the house.

Within three minutes the firetrucks lined Zabriskie Terrace, with volunteer firefighter, Norman Shlissel in the lead. He doused the fire and miraculously the only damage was the DVD player itself, a patch of burnt carpeting and a melted plastic "milk box" and a pervasive odor of burning plastic. Of course, the incident spurred the interest of the neighborhood kinderlach.

No one was hurt. Damage was at a minimum. The firefighters didn't have to force entry into the house. A room fan and the cool weather and open windows helped dissipate the foul smell of burnt plastic and metal. As the soot settled, we all praised the Aibershter for his revealed rachamim. The King was truly in the Field this Elul, casting His smiling countenance upon us. Let us always be there to greet Him.

About 75 firefighters from several fire departments fought flames that ravaged a three-story apartment building this past Monday night.

The fire, which began shortly before 6:45 PM, appeared to have begun on the second floor of building 22 in the Blueberry Hill Apartments, at 200 Route 306. The fire was brought under control by 10:00 PM.

Rockland Deputy Fire Coordinator John Kryger said that a lack of nearby fire hydrants prevented officials from effectively fighting the fire early on.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

As per the minhag to check Mezuzos and Tefillin during the month of Elul, Rabbi Nota Kuperman, a Sofer from Crown Heights, will be available to check your Tefilin and Mezuzos starting today, Sunday, August 15, at K'hal Tzemach Tzedek.

Rabbi Kuperman will be available in the small minyan room from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM every day this week.

Please make sure all items that are dropped off are in Ziploc bags and are properly labeled with your name and telephone number. There is a fee for his service.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Noted psychologist and lecturer, Mrs. Zipporah Oliver, who is visiting from Australia, will be giving a shiur for women this Shabbos afternoon on the topic of Elul-Insights - How to Understand and Make the Most of this Powerful Month.

The shiur will take place this shabbos afternoon, Parshas Shoftim, at 5:00 PM, at the home of Miriam Tyberg, 7 Pleasant Ridge Road.

In a beautiful expression of Hakaros HaTov the women of the community surprised Mrs. Karen Schild last night with an evening of appreciation where she was presented with a generous gift as a small token of appreciation for her amazing work that benefits the community.

Karen, through her chesed project Shifra & Puah, has been arranging meals for many years for mothers of newborns, and other families who may be otherwise occupied, in our community. As the community has grown so has Karen’s workload. Her selflessness and dedication to this beautiful project are a tremendous inspiration.

Thanks to Baila Wasserman for organizing the evening, Devorah Goldstein for hosting it, Naamah Freundlich for the heartwarming poem and to all who brought food and refreshments!

A Wonderful Friend

By Naama Freundlich

We gather here tonight in honor of a special friend

No matter her hectic day her hand she will always lend

She feeds all her friends with simcha on her face

A tremendous amount of toil she will happily embrace

She is our Shifra & Puah a mother, wife, and friend

As if she has the extra time on us she will spend

Whom do we speak about with glory and praise

Karen Schild all of us you constantly amaze

Through sickness, shiva, new home or tired from child birth stuck in bed

With your help we are guaranteed our family will be fed

You know most o Anash by name and number

Collecting your booty of delicious baked wonder

You call, you request, never placing any stress

So that every Kimpetur will have of the best

And if chas v’shalom your food count runs short

Then you always supplement with goodies from your own freezer fort

With an enormous task you continue with such grace to do

We would like to show our appreciation for someone so valued as you

Karen, you inspire, amaze and bedazzle

While looking so lovely without any frazzle

So tonight we unify to say “yasher koach!”

THANK YOU so much from our laiv to our moach

We are so proud of you, you are a true inspiration

A prime example of an Aishes chayil of this nation

May Hashem always bless you and your family with good health to inspire

There will be in important meeting for women to strategize and plan the Cheder Kohl’s campaign this Motzai Shabbos, Parshas Shoftim, August 14, at 9:30 PM at the home of Adine Lipszyc, 21 Brockton Road. Please make every effort to participate!

Shifra and Puah arranges homemade meals from people in the community for mothers of newborn children from our community. If you are able to cook a meal, please contact Karen Schild at 845-354-4898 or karenschild@yahoo.com.

I hope that you are enjoying the last few weeks of summer and that it has given you an opportunity to have fun, bond with your families and get some much needed relaxation. Now that we are in Elul the weather is changing in subtle ways and thoughts of the New Year do start to present themselves. I want to take this opportunity to invite all members of the community to participate in our shiurim that will take place in my home b’ezrat Hashem every Wednesday morning at 10:30 am and encourage you to commit now to making a space in your weekly schedule to do so. The shiur offers not only meaningful, relevant and inspiring learning, but also a great social opportunity to meet other women, exchange ideas and experiences and grow together in a supportive learning based spiritual community.

B’ezrat Hashem, we will be starting off our learning together with the school year, making the first class Sep 1st or the 22nd of Elul.

I am looking forward to sharing Torah learning and growing with you; if for whatever reason you would like to participate in the learning but cannot attend the actual real live shiur on a Wednesday morning, I will be loading the classes every week onto my website: www.womenstlc.com and there you will be able to click on a link to hear the shiur.

Of course, listening online will exclude the possibility of live participation, but you will still get the benefit of hearing the information. Unfortunately the link does not stay effective indefinitely and for that reason last year’s classes are no longer available. I hope to upgrade my technical skills to be able to create an archive of old classes with a better method of access but for the meantime the links are effective for a couple of months.

The website will also be a source of information regarding the evening educational and social events that we will be having, b”ezrat Hashem during the course of the year.

So, mark off your calenders now, making sure to save a weekly Wednesday spot… and I hope to see you September 1st.

Till then, make the most out of the opportunity Elul presents. According to Torah, Elul offers us an unique opportunity for Tshuvah, a return to the inner wholeness, beauty and potential of our own soul and it’s innate connection with the Divine. Tshuvah is the healing and letting go of what keeps us separate from others and from Hashem and from being who we really are. So try to hear the shofar every day and allow its sound to resonate within you and “return to the land of your soul!”

Rabbi Mendel Polter, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Menachem Mendel Lubavitch of Monsey, has a limited amount of time that he is able to make available to learn with individual 7th or 8th grade students to prepare them for Mesivta level learning.

Boruch Hashem, over the last few years our community has seen a tremendous amount of growth. In the last year alone more than 25 Lubavitch families have chosen the greater Monsey area as the place to live and raise their children and a number of new families are scheduled to move in over the next few weeks.

Our community is blessed with many advantages:

We have a widely respected Rav of the highest caliber, Rabbi Lesches, Shlita.

We have a substantial amount of Bnei Torah, Melamdim, Talmidei Chachamin and talented men and women amongst our Anash who are able to benefit our community by teaching, inspiring, etc.

We have a large and diverse group of Baale Batim all of whom are eagerly looking to grow in their Yiddishkeit and Chassidishkeit.

We have thriving Shuls - Beis Menachem, Chabad of South Monsey, Tzemach Tzedek, Nusach Ari, etc. - all of which have increasing amounts of young families.

We have growing Chabad Mosdos for all ages as well as tzedakah and chesed organizations catering to our community.

Recently many young families have reached out expressing an interest in growing in their Yiddishkeit, both as individuals and as a family unit. Many are also looking to work on improving their involvement in the chinuch of their children especially during these important formative years.

As such, a committee of Yungeleit representing the different Shuls, including Yona Abenson, Aroni Chein, Mendi Labkowski, Avraham Polinger, Yossel Sirota and Avi Weinstein, is forming with the goal of actively increasing shiurim, farbrengens, chinuch and shalom bayis lectures and other inspiring activities to strengthen ourselves and our families in Avodas Hashem, Limud HaTorah and hiskashrus to the Rebbe.

The committee will also be working on activities and events with the aim of strengthening the sense of achdus in our community.

Your input is valuable! Every person's contribution makes a difference! If you have any ideas or would like to get involved in this project please email rabbimarkowitz@monseychabad.com.

Being that we are already in the month of Elul approaching the Yomim Noraim it is a most auspicious time to begin such a great endeavor and I hope to be able to update you shortly with the information of our first event.

May the hachlata itself that we take in doing this, bring us the ultimate results of the גאולה האמיתית והשלימה תיכף ומיד ממש

A large legal recently-built 2 bedroom apartment is available for rent on Underwood Road in the Concord neighborhood of Monsey which is very close to Tzemach Tzedek.

The spacious and sunlit apartment is on a first floor (not a basement) and has 2 full baths, living room/dining room, large eat-in Kosher kitchen, lots of closets, central air, private entrance, spot lights and a lovely breakfast nook with lots of windows.

Rabbi Avremel Wolowick and Cheder Chabad of Monsey Melamdim participated in the Ninth Annual Kinus HaMechanchim organized by the Merkos Chinuch Office this week. They joined nearly 100 Chabad Mechanchim from around North America at the Radisson Hotel in Piscataway, New Jersey for two days of lectures, workshops, inspiration and camaraderie.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Dr. Yisroel Susskind will be giving a Yiddish course at RCC that is open to the public this October.

Would the ability to converse in Yiddish help you in your professional, personal or religious life? Do you work with a Yiddish speaking clientele, as a health care provider, educator, professional or businessman? Are you a Rabbi or community leader who has congregants that might benefit from such a course?

When I moved to Monsey 10 years ago, I had a rudimentary knowledge of Yiddish. With the help of a dictionary, I could read a religious discourse in Yiddish. Over the past ten years, I have taught myself the basics of conversational Yiddish to the point that I now conduct therapy in Yiddish. When I work with adults, we augment the Yiddish with Hebrew and English. However, when I work with children, for many of them their only conversational language is Yiddish.

I will be offering a 12 hour non-credit course this fall at Rockland Community College in which I share the platform I developed from which I have continued to enhance my Yiddish skills. I expect that the class will be small, perhaps 5 to 10 students, so it will be possible to have a lot of practice speaking in class.

The class will meet on 4 consecutive Sundays in October (the 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th) from 1 to 4 PM at the main RCC campus.

Please let me know ASAP at 845-425-9531 if you are interested in participating.

Monday, August 9, 2010

The "winds of Elul" begin blowing tonight.....The King will be in the field....The 13 Attributes of Mercy will be shining ..... all for the entire month! You know it, but the yearly question is 'How do I make the most of it?'

Here's your chance to get fired up, inspired, motivated, ready-willing-and-able to take full advantage of this incredible time!

Tomorrow and the following day, Tuesday and Wednesday is Rosh Chodesh Elul. The first Shacharis minyan at Tzemach Tzedek will begin at 6:45 AM and the second minyan at 8:00 AM.

As the last month of the Jewish year, Elul is traditionally a time of introspection and stocktaking - a time to review one's deeds and spiritual progress over the past year and prepare for the upcoming "Days of Awe" of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.

As the month of Divine Mercy and it is a most opportune time for increased teshuvah, tefilla, tzedaka, and Ahavas Yisrael in the quest for self-improvement and coming closer to Hashem.

The Alter Rebbe likens the month of Elul to a time when "the king is in the field" and, in contrast to when he is in the royal palace, "everyone who so desires is permitted to meet him, and he receives them all with a cheerful countenance and shows a smiling face to them all."

Specific Elul customs include saying L'David Hashem Ori (Tehllim 27) at the end of Shacharis and Mincha until Hoshanah Rabbah and the daily sounding of the shofar as a call to repentance.

The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of reciting three additional chapters of Tehillim each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire Tehillim).

Elul is also the time to have one's tefillin and mezuzot checked by a sofer.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Chasdie Bracha is an organization established in memory of Bracha Yaffit a"h Chein whose tragedy has inspired her family to dedicate a living memorial by providing support for families in dire circumstances.

The organization was founded in 1995 and is based in Brooklyn but now some of it's important services are available in the Monsey area, at Merkaz Chasdei Bracha of Monsey.

Uriel Ash was part of a group of 40 business professionals who rode their bicycles 135 miles to raise money for Camp Simcha which provides services and an amazing summer experience for children who are battling serious illnesses.

The Bike4Chai bicycle ride started in Lakewood on Tuesday morning at 8:30 AM and ended on Wednesday at approximetly noon at Camp Simcha in Glen Spey, NY.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Cheder Chabad of Monsey is now number 21 in the Kohls contest to win $500,000. There is no need to elaborate as to how this sum could help our school.

Other Chabad communities are rallying behind their school in a collective communal campaign to get votes for their school. We can easily do the same.

As such, all men and women are invited, and strongly encouraged, to participate in a public community meeting tomorrow night, Tuesday, August 3, at 9:00 PM at Tzemach Tzedek.

Your ideas and input are important. Please email them to news@monseychabad.com in advance of the meeting so we can create a strategy and working together make Cheder Chabad of Monsey one of the twenty winners of this contest.

Please make an effort to come tomorrow, Tuesday night, at 9:00 PM to Tzemach Tzedek.

Please note that this meeting and campaign is being organized by a group of parents who are deeply concerned about the financial situation the Cheder is in. This is in no way an endorsement of internet usage or Facebook by Cheder Chabad.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

The Bris will take place tomorrow, Monday, August 2, at 3:00 PM, at their home, 98 Overlook Road.

Shifra and Puah arranges homemade meals from people in the community for mothers of newborn children from our community. If you are able to cook a meal, please contact Karen Schild at 845-354-4898 or karenschild@yahoo.com.

Country style dining room set for sale in almost brand new condition. Set contains large china closet, 6 chairs, table that opens up to 96 inches and a table mat cover. Asking price is $3,200 or best offer! Please call Rivka at 845-290-5786.